The nineth international
walking pilgrimage from Hidasnémeti, Hungary
to the World center of veneration of the Image
of the Divine Mercy - Cracow
(Krakow) Lagiewniki, Poland. Jul 12-20, 2019(9
days, Friday-Saturday)275
kms / 172 miles during 9 days
lead by Salvatorian
Fatherswww.pilgrimage.pl

For
the sake of His
sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

Want
to join us & go? Ask: aw@pilgrimage.pl - Fr. Andrzej Wasko SDS
(polish or english)
Meeting point:
The Pilgrimage begins at the Church in
Hidasnémeti, Hungary
the evening July 11, 2019, school in Hidasnemeti, Hungary
Overnight at school and next morning (July 12, 2019) we will start to
go :)
In Hidasnemeti will be the registration, which costs
around 40 € for participation, accommodation, breakfasts, lunches
and dinners, and first medical help. And also for luggage transport
between all accommodation. 40 € for the whole pilgrimage.much more in polish www.pielgrzymka.org

Pilgrim
Song

Man is lonely by birth.
Man is only a pilgrim on earth.
Born to be king, time is but a temporary thing,
only on loan while on earth.

Like the wind in the tree,
man has been rather reckless and free.
Thrown far and wide, we long to settle down beside
the stream flowing through eternity.

Like the grass on the lawn,
we will pass by the way and be gone.
A lesson to learn, we walk but once there's no return.
Time is always moving on.

Man is longing for One,
for a song and a place in the sun,
a home up above where ev'ry day is lived in love, for
rest when the journey is done.

Catechism of
the Catholic
Church:

2447
The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid
of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities.
Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of
mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal
works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the
homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and
burying the dead. Among all these, giving alms to the poor is one of
the chief witnesses to fraternal charity: it is also a work of justice
pleasing to God.

He who has two
coats, let him
share with him who has none and he who has food must do likewise. But
give for alms those things which are within; and behold, everything is
clean for you. If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily
food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled,"
without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?

From
the
'Diary' of St. Faustina:

Mankind will not have peace
until it turns
with trust to My mercy (Diary 300).

I do not understand how it is possible not to trust in Him who can do
all things. With Him, everything; without Him, nothing. He is Lord. He
will not allow those who have placed all their trust in Him to be put
to shame (Diary 358).

I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy toward your neighbour:
the first — by deed, the second — by word, the
third—
by prayer. In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy,
and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me. By this means a soul
glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy (Diary 742).

I demand from you deeds of mercy, which are to arise out of love for
Me. You are to show mercy to your neighbours always and everywhere. You
must not shrink from this or try to excuse or absolve yourself from it
(Diary 742

With the trust and simplicity of a small child, I give myself to You
today, O Lord Jesus, my Master. I leave You complete freedom in
directing my soul. Guide me along the paths You wish. I won’t
question them. I will follow You trustingly. Your merciful Heart can do
all things! (Diary 228).

Happy the soul that has trusted in Your goodness And has abandoned
herself completely to Your mercy. Her soul is filled with the peace of
love. You defend her everywhere as Your own child (Diary 1652).

The greatest sinners would achieve great sanctity, if only they would
trust in My mercy (Diary 1784).

If a soul does not exercise mercy somehow or other, it will not obtain
My mercy on the day of judgment. Oh, if only souls knew how to gather
eternal treasure for themselves, they would not be judged, for they
would forestall My judgment with their mercy (Diary 1317).

Consider the love of neighbour. Is your love for your neighbour guided
by My love? Do you pray for your enemies? Do you wish well to those who
have, in one way or another, caused you sorrow or offended you? Know
that whatever good (125) you do to any soul, I accept it as if you had
done it to Me (Diary 1768).

It should be of no concern to you how anyone else acts; you are to be
My living reflection, through love and mercy. I answered, Lord, but
they often take advantage of my goodness. That makes no difference, My
daughter. That is no concern of yours. As for you, be always merciful
toward other people, and especially toward sinners (Diary 1446).

I saw the Lord Jesus, who said, My daughter, you gave Me greater
pleasure by rendering Me that service t
han if you had prayed for a long time. I answered, But it was not to
You, Jesus, but to that patient that I rendered this service. And the
Lord answered me, Yes, My daughter, but whatever you do for your
neighbour, you do for Me (Diary 1029).

Have great love for those who cause you suffering. Do good to those who
hate you. I answered, O my Master, You see very well that I feel no
love for them, and that troubles me. Jesus answered, It is not always
within your power to control your feelings. You will recognize that you
have love if, after having experienced annoyance and contradiction, you
do not lose your peace, but pray for those who have made you suffer and
wish them well (Diary 1628).

Enormous indeed are the debts of the world which are due to Me; pure
souls can pay them by their sacrifice, exercising mercy in spirit
(Diary 1316).

I want to be completely transformed into Your mercy and to be Your
living reflection, O Lord. May the greatest of all divine attributes,
that of Your unfathomable mercy, pass through my heart and soul to my
neighbour (Diary 163).

O Jesus, I understand that Your mercy is beyond all imagining, and
therefore I ask You to make my heart so big that there will be room in
it for the needs of all the souls living on the face of the earth. O
Jesus, my love extends beyond the world, to the souls suffering in
purgatory, and I want to exercise mercy toward them by means of
indulgenced prayers (Diary 692).

I suffer great pain at the sight of the sufferings of others. All these
sufferings are reflected in my heart. I carry their torments in my
heart so that it even wears me out physically. I would like all pains
to fall upon me so as to bring relief to my neighbour (Diary 1039).

Mercy towards neighbours
O my Jesus, you know what efforts are needed to live sincerely and
unaffectedly with those from whom our nature flees, or with those who,
deliberately or not, have made us suffer. Humanly speaking, this is
impossible. At such times more than at others, I try to discover the
Lord Jesus in such a person and for this same Jesus, I do everything
for such people (Diary 766).

O my Jesus, it is difficult enough to bear this kind of suffering: that
which I experience when someone exhibits kindness towards me and then
lays snares at my feet at every step I take. What great will power is
necessary to love such a soul for God’s sake (Diary 124

O Jesus, have mercy on us! I tremble to think that I have to give an
account of my tongue. There is life, but there is also death in the
tongue. Sometimes we kill with the tongue: we commit real murders. And
we are still to regard that as a small thing? (Diary 119).

O my Jesus, when shall we look upon souls with higher motives in mind?
When will our judgments be true? You give us occasions to practise
deeds of mercy, and instead we use the occasions to pass judgment
(Diary 1269).

O my Jesus, teach me to open the bosom of mercy and love to everyone
who asks for it. Jesus, my Commander, teach me so that all my prayers
and deeds may bear the seal of Your mercy (Diary 755).

I see that God never tries us beyond what we are able to suffer. Oh, I
fear nothing; if God sends such great suffering to a soul. He upholds
it with an even greater grace, although we are not aware of it. One act
of trust at such moments gives greater glory to God than whole hours
passed in prayer filled with consolations (Diary 78).

Let no one who approaches you go away without that trust in My mercy
which I so ardently desire for souls (Diary 1777).

Encourage the souls with whom you come in contact to trust in My
infinite mercy. Oh, how I love those souls who have complete confidence
in Me. I will do everything for them (Diary 294).

When a soul approaches Me with trust, I fill it with such an abundance
of graces that it cannot contain them within itself, but radiates them
to other souls (Diary 1074).

The essence of the virtues is the will of God. He who does the will of
God faithfully, practices all the virtues (Diary 678).

The soul that trusts in My mercy is most fortunate, because I Myself
take care of it (Diary 1273).

Sooner would heaven and earth turn into nothingness than would My mercy
not embrace a trusting soul (Diary 1777)

The greater the misery of a soul, the greater its right to My mercy;
[urge] all souls to trust in the unfathomable abyss of My mercy,
because I want to save them all. On the cross, the fountain of My mercy
was opened wide by the lance for all souls — no one have I
excluded! (Diary 1182).

The graces of My mercy are drawn by means of one vessel only, and that
is — trust. The more a soul trusts, the more it will receive
(Diary 1578).

Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a
person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is
stronger than our misery. One thing alone is necessary: that the sinner
set ajar the door of his heart, be it ever so little, to let in a ray
of God’s merciful grace, and then God will do the rest (Diary
1507).

Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal
of Mercy [the Sacrament of Reconciliation] There the greatest miracles
take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this
miracle (...) it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My
representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the
miracle
of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying
corpse (...) the miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full
(Diary 1448).

Today the Lord’s gaze shot through me suddenly, like
lightning.
At once, I came to know the tiniest specks in my soul, and knowing the
depths of my misery, I fell to my knees and begged the Lord’s
pardon, and with great trust I immersed myself in His infinite mercy.
Such knowledge does not depress me nor keep me away from the Lord, but
rather it arouses in my soul greater love and boundless trust. The
repentance of my heart is linked to love (Diary 852).

What grace and reflection made out of the greatest criminal. He who is
dying has much love: “Remember me when You are in
paradise.” Heartfelt repentance immediately transforms the
soul.
The spiritual life is to be lived earnestly and sincerely (Diary 388).

Although sin is an abyss of wickedness and ingratitude, the price paid
for us can never be equalled. Therefore, let every soul trust in the
Passion of the Lord, and place its hope in His mercy. God will not deny
His mercy to anyone (Diary 72).

Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as
scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel,
will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity (Diary 699

In the meditation on sin, the Lord gave me to know all the malice of
sin and the ingratitude that is contained in it. I feel within my soul
a great aversion for even the smallest sin (Diary 1334).

No greater joy is to be found than that of loving God. Already here on
earth we can taste the happiness of those in heaven by an intimate
union with God, a union that is extraordinary and often quite
incomprehensible to us. One can attain this very grace through simple
faithfulness of soul (Diary 507).

Everything begins with Your mercy and ends with Your mercy…
All
grace flows from mercy, and the last hour abounds with mercy for us.
Let no one doubt concerning the goodness of God; even if a
person’s sins were as dark as night, God’s mercy is
stronger than our misery (Diary 1506–1507).

The more I come to know the greatness of God, the more joyful I become
that He is as He is. And I rejoice immensely in His greatness and am
delighted that I am so little because, since I am little, He carries me
in His arms and holds me close to His Heart (Diary 779).

The Lord gave me to experience the whole ocean and abyss of His
fathomless mercy. Oh, if only souls would want to understand how much
God loves them! All comparisons, even if they were the most tender and
the most vehement, are but a mere shadow when set against the reality
(Dz. 1073).

My heart flutters with joy to see how good God is to us wretched and
ungrateful people. And as a proof of His love, He gives us the
incomprehensible gift of Himself in the person of His Son. Throughout
all eternity we shall never exhaust that mystery of love. O mankind,
why do you think so little about God being truly among us? (Diary 1584).

---------------------------------------------------------

August
the 5-14, each year (since a.D. 1711)Warsaw Academic Metropolitan
Pilgrimage
WAPM, Green Group (Grupa Zielona)
lead by Salvatorian Fathers

WAPM is an annual pilgrimage from Warsaw to Czestochowa, the religious
heart of Poland and site of the Black Madonna Shrine.
Approximately 4,000 people, mostly youth, walk the 300+kms (160 miles)
over a 10 day period. The pilgrims are staggered into smaller
groups
consisting of a few hundred each. Every morning is celebrated with Mass
followed by many hours walking (with sufficient rest-stops) while
praying the Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet, singing songs and spending
time in reflection. Evenings are concluded with a prayer followed by
pilgrims taking their rest in a tent. Upon arrival in Czestochowa,
pilgrims merge with many other pilgrims groups arriving from all
corners of the country, creating a mass of faithful, honouring Our Lady
the Queen of Poland. August the 14th in Czestochowa there is a 1pm
(1300h) Mass to conclude the event.

How do I take part?

Registration - Green Group :) - is ongoing in August 1st with the
evening of August 4th being the deadline. The registration point is St.
Anne's Church, Warsaw and it also acts as the starting point for the
pilgrimage. The Opening Mass begins at 5:30am (0530h) although I had to
negotiate with my Youth Hostel to let me out that early. After Mass the
smaller groups assemble and depart Warsaw amid waves from Babcia's
(grandmothers) lining the streets!

I don't speak Polish, is that a problem?

No, from personal experience I can guarantee that every Pole will do
their best to make you feel welcome, especially if you don't speak
Polish. A large number of pilgrims are capable of conversational
English and after some initial shyness, will happily engage you.
Remember that they are touched by you joining them in pilgrimage.

Food?

Food is plentiful. Is is a good idea to bring some of your own but
Poles are exceedingly generous and you may end up with multiple dinner
invitations! Vans stocked with drinks, pastries and sausage rolls also
cater for pilgrims along the route so for a few zloty each day, you
won't go hungry.

Do I have to be Catholic?

No, while prayers and songs are undoubtedly Catholic, everyone is
welcome. We are all children of God.

Buses and trains will take you back to Warsaw (3 hours) following the
conclusion of WAPM. For peace of mind, yuo should book your flight
departure from Warsaw on the August 15th or later.

The route of the pilgrimage
is
more or less 160 miles (daily walk of 16-17 miles), regardless of the
rain or the sun. Piglrimage bypasess big cities; our way leads through
some villages, forests, open fields. Night's lodging is your own tent.
Our bags and tents during the day are transported by the tracks. No
smoking, no alcohol, no co-education, no drugs, no bath in the rivers,
proper dress. Categorically do not use the candle-lights in your tents.

It is very important to
have
comfortable shoes and socks - forget about quite new ones. During the
way you need small rucksack with food and drink for all day, a
sunscreen cap, a spoon, a cup, a sweater; take also something against
the rain (not umbrella!); basin, basic medicine. Don't forget your
national flag :) A high number of pilgrims can speak English and
German. Traditionally we call one another "sister" and "brother".

"Now as I pour
out my
soul, I remember all this - how I used to lead the faithful in
procession to the house of God, amid shouts of joy and thanksgiving,
among the feasting throng."

Yahweh, the God of hosts
speaks, "People
will come from other nations people from great cities. The inhabitans
of one town will talk with those of another. Then they will say: 'Come,
let us go and implore the favor of Yahweh, and I, too, will seek
Yahweh'. Many great peoples and powerful nations will come seeking
Yahweh, God of hosts, in Jerusalem and pray to him".

Yahweh, the God of hosts
assures
you, "In those days ten men of different languages spoken in
various lands, will take hold of a Jew by the hem of his garment and
say: We, too, want to go with you for we have heard that God is with
you."
Zec 8, 20-23

The pilgrim church of God,
We mount the narrow way,
We tread the path that Jesus trod,
His call obey:
To whom God sent his Son,
On whom the Spirit came,
Who in the faith of Christ are one
And in his name.

What though the way
tread
Be dark, or faith be dim?
We look to Christ our risen Head
And walk with him.
So lead your children on
In love and truth and grace,
To come where Christ himself has gone
And see his face.

We are a pilgrim
people,
journeying through
the varied landscapes of life, on our way to the heavenly Jerusalem.
Let us travel light, unburdened by useless baggage - material or
spiritual - and sing this pilgrim psalm to the God who has given us
such a glorious gol in life.

Keith Wheeler has been to WAPM

DEAR
INTERNET FAMILY AND FRIENDS,

Praise the Lord!! Amazing!
Incredible! And
unbelievable! What a glorious trip! This had to be one of the most
awesome times I have ever experienced in carrying the cross around the
world! In August 2005, with God's help, I had the great joy of
traveling with two of my longtime friends, Tim Maxson and Nate
Gustafson. Both of these men are like brothers to me and it was a joy
to walk together. We had the privilege of walking with tens of
thousands of pilgrims across Poland! It was truly glorious!

A year ago, I received an
email
inviting me to be a part of an annual pilgrimage across Poland. For
hundreds of years, pilgrimages have been made from all over Poland to
the city of Czestochowa. The tradition still continues with many groups
even walking from other locations across Europe! There are groups of
tens of thousands of people who walked along the highway, through
forests and fields to this city. These groups are made up of children,
young and old people, babies in carriages, and even families. Soldiers
from the Polish, Czech, and Slovakian Armies even had large groups,
along with the Polish Navy. Each group was divided into smaller groups
with a priest who would help lead the teaching and singing. Every group
had a public address system that was carried like a backpack by
different volunteers each day. It often stretched hundreds of yards
(the length of each group) so that everyone in the group was able to
hear.

We began at St. Ann's
Church at
the edge of the Old City in Warsaw and began walking through the
streets. Tens of thousands of people lined the streets crying,
clapping, and encouraging us on. We walked ten days (about 160 miles)
for our arrival in Czestochowa. For miles in front and miles in back,
all you could see was people! It was one of the most amazing sights I
have ever seen! As the groups began to arrive in Czestochowa, I
couldn't help but think how closely this must resemble the pilgrimages
in the Bible up to Jerusalem! It was awesome to see as tens of
thousands of people were arriving!

I don't know if I have ever
been
with a more spiritually hungry group of people anywhere in the world!
It is almost impossible to describe how open the people were and how
much love there was. Each day, different priests and groups would
invite me to speak with their individual group. I had the privilege of
sharing about Jesus and how we can be forgiven and know Him personally.
I would explain how He wants to come and live in our life and how he
will join us in our pilgrimage through life; and that He will never
ever leave us. Then, I would have the honor of leading that group in
prayer. Most days it was constant preaching, praying, and counseling
from one group to the next. It seemed like there was never a moment of
rest! Even at night I would be often be speaking with people and
counseling late into the night. One day, I literally preached,
counseled, or prayed with people nonstop from four in the morning until
midnight that night! At night, we would sleep in the fields or in barns
that people along the way had volunteered for the pilgrimage. Each day
I would go to sleep totally exhausted, physically, mentally, and
emotionally. Oh, but what a way to go!

Not only did I walk with
tens of
thousands of people -- as we walked into a city or village, there would
often be thousands of people lining the streets! Even out in the
countryside!! Many days, the cross would be covered with flowers and
often, food and water would be tied onto it. People would often be
crying and give me a hug and kiss, or they would touch and kiss the
cross. Over and over again, I would have people thank us for coming to
their group. So many would tell us, "Now, I know Jesus!" or "Your
message and the cross changed my life!" One day, a young lady ran up to
the cross and pulled off my sunglasses and looked into my eyes. "Yes,
yes!! I heard that you have Jesus and I want Him too!"

There was so much love!
Walking
with these beautiful people was amazing!! The people of Poland seem to
understand the cross like very few other places in this world. They are
true friends of the cross! They are so humble, and open and hungry to
follow Jesus! I can't tell you how much I learned by walking with these
precious people; my life was truly enriched! I only pray that God would
give me grace to return one day!

Thank you!! Thanks for
loving
Jesus so much and for your desire to follow Him! Thanks for the love,
friendship, graciousness, and example that you have shown Cherie, the
kids, and I. Thanks for enduring with us through these last two letters
(we promise the next ones won't be so long!)! It's your prayers and
gifts that continue to send us out. Your love and encouragement is a
real treasure! As we carried the cross through Poland I saw such a
clear picture of how the Body of Christ is connected together. There
were those who actually walked to Czestochowa on the pilgrimage and
those who wanted to join us, but weren't able. The ones who weren't
physically on the pilgrimage would line the streets and cheer us on.
They would open up their fields and barns for us to sleep in. And they
would give us food along the way. At times, we almost had too much to
eat! They would insist that we accept their hospitality. They said, "We
want to go but we can't. You have to eat our food, and stay in our
barns so that we can go with you." What a picture! And oh, so true!
There are only a few who have ever actually physically been with our
family out on the road with the cross, but so many of you have truly
joined us with your precious prayers and gifts! You are truly together
with us on this pilgrimage. Thanks!!

God Bless You!!
Keith, Cherie, Hannah, and Josiah
Pilgrim Followers of Jesus
I want to know him; I want to experience the power of his resurrection
and share in his sufferings and become like him in his death.
Philippians 3:10

<--
Colin, Fr.
Stan & Liz - Australians
from Perth in 2003 Dear
Green Sisters
and Brothers,We are
home now in
Australia
and back at work in our surgery at Glen
Forrest. We wanted to let you know how profoundly the pilgrimage with
your group has affected us. It was the most wonderful experience to see
our Faith so alive and vibrant and to see so many young people with
such strong belief. Please thank all those who were so kind to us and
took the time to speak to us, to help us with food and water, to help
carry the flag etc etc It made such a difference to us and made us feel
very much a part of the Green Group WAPM. We feel very privileged to
have taken part in such a special event.Our
spiritual
journey has
helped us grow in our Faith and in our
commitment to the Lord. We are enjoying an intimate relationship with
the blessed Virgin Mary that was missing in our lives before this.
Thank you for the great dancing We will practice some Australian Dances
and come prepared with music next time, hopefully in another 2 years !!May
God bless you
in your workLove
Liz and ColinPerth,
Western
Australia

I am interested in participating in the Warsaw Academic Metropolitan
Youth Pilgrimage. I need your help urgently as I am organising a trip
to India (to be followed by WAMP in Poland and World Youth Day in
Germany). My tickets, including transport to Cologne for WYD2005, need
to be organised in the next few days.
While I am in Poland I hope to complete the pilgrimage at Czestochowa
followed by a visit to Auschwitz and onto Cologne via train.
My problem is that I don't have a precise time of when the pilgrimage
to Czestochowa ends. This means that I cannot safely book a train
ticket from Krakow or Warsaw until I can estimate the time it will take
to visit Auschwitz and get to the relevant train station.
Could you kindly provide me with the time that WAPM is planned to end
(or the earliest time I could leave for Warsaw, without missing
anything) or inform me if I could accompany a group from WAMP to
WYD2005 (while still being able to visit Auschwitz).
Your help would be most appreciated.
God Bless, Mark M. (I can't speak Polish)

* * * *

Hello:
I live in Toronto, Canada and came across your web site. I don't know
if I would qualify as a "young person" because I'm 37 years old. But, I
wanted to know if I would be able to walk with the Warsaw Academic
Metropolitan Pilgrimage GreenGroup. I would greatly appreciate any
information you could give me. I was inspired by the pilgrims at World
Youth Day July 2002 -- in fact, I was almost heartbroken when they left
Toronto because they brought so much hope and joy to our city. My Dad
is Polish and I have always had a strong devotion to Our Lady, so a
pilgrimage to Czestochowa just seems like the natural thing to do.
Looking forward to hearing back from you.
Regards
Jane Drake

Dear Andrew, thak you for your informations about pilgrimage. I have
just booked my flight to Poland, so I will definitely be joining your
Green Group WAPM on the pilgrimage in August 2003!
peace & love,
Jane

* * * *

Could I please have more
informations about
the pilgrimage from warsaw-czestochowa? I want to know if somebody here
in italy organizes the trip for italian students, thank you!
greetings from rome! samira

* * * *

Hello,
I am a 19 year old American/Polish girl living in Spain (I do not speak
Polish though :) :)...). I came across the pilgrimage website and am
very interested in paricipating. I would appreciate any additional
information you could give me regarding this. I do not think I know of
anyone else that would be able to come with me or a priest that speaks
one of my languages...English/Spanish....and would be able to come.
Maybe I could join in with another group coming from Spain or the
U.S.

Thanks for your time!
Sincerely, Danielle Danowski(a)

* * * *

On the internet I have read
about
the yearly pedestrian pilgrimage from Warszawa to Chestochowa. On the
website you spoke about joining with a group of your own language. I am
very interested in joining this year but I don't know if it's possible:
Im am 30 years old (too old ?). Iam from Maastricht, Holland and till
now I haven't discovered a Dutch group who is walking in 2004. Could
you give me some adresses or links to a Dutch group? A german adress
isn't also a problem because I speak german very well and I live very
close to the German border (region of NordRhein-Westfalen). Could you
also tell me something more about the specific programm. (When you
arrive in Warsawa: where is the meeting point, timetable of departing
to Czestochowa, places where I can stay for the first night.) Is there
a central information-point? Thank you very much for your cooperation
and with God's help I see you in August.
With kind regards, Marco

* * * *

Order for the
blessing of pilgrims on their departure.

Sisters and brothers, as we set out, we should remind ourselves of the
reasons for our resolve to go on this holy pilgrimage. Czestochowa,
Jasna Gora we intend to visit is a monument to the devotion of the
people of God. They have gone there in great numbers to be strengthened
in the Christian way of life and to become more determined to devote
themselves to the works of charity. We must also try to bring something
to the faithful who live there: our example of faith, hope and love. In
this way both they and we will be enriched by the help we give each
other.

Sisters and
brothers, listen to the words of the second letter of saint Paul to the
Corinthians:(we are away
from
the Lord)

So we are always courageous, although we know that while we are at home
in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by
sight. Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go
home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at
home or away. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of
Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he
did in the body, whether good or evil.
The word of the Lord.

R: Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

Psalm 24

The Lord’s are the earth and its fullness;
The world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and establish it upon the rivers.

Who can ascend the mountain of the Lord
or who may stand in his holy place?
He whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.

He shall receive a blessing from the Lord
a reward from God his Savior.
Such is the race that seek for him
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.

Intercession

God is the beginning and the end of life’s pilgrimage. Let us
call on him with confidence, saying:
Lord, be the companion of our journey.

Father all holy, of old you made yourself the guide and the way for
your people as they wandered in the desert; be our protection as we
begin this journey, so that we may return home again in safety.

You have given us your holy only Son to be our way to you; make us
follow him faithfully and unswervingly.

You gave us Mary as the image and model for following Christ; grant
that through her example we may live a new life.

You guide your pilgrim Church on earth through the Holy Spirit; may we
seek you in all thongs and walk always in the way of your commandments.

You lead us along right and peaceful paths; grant that we may see you
face to face in heaven.

Prayer of blessing
With hand outstretched, the celebrant continues with the prayer of
blessing

All-powerful God,
you always show mercy toward those who love you and
you are never far away for those who seek you.
Remain with your servants on this holy pilgrimage
and guide their way in accord with your will.
Shelter them with your protection by day,
give them the light of your grace by night,
and, as their companion on the journey,
bring them to their destination in safety.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

May the Lord guide us and direct our journey in safety.
Amen.

May the Lord be our companion along the way.
Amen.

May the Lord grant that the pilgrimage
we begin, relying on him,
will end happily through his protection.
Amen.